We've returned, alive, from our journey. Nadja hasn't developed rabies, and it's been over 60 days since she's been bitten. Now she has no excuse for foaming at the mouth.


 

 

The Trans-Siberian Railroad journey is the greatest train journey in the world. Running from Moscow to Vladivostok, it takes nearly a week to traverse the Siberian tundra. Most backpackers take the train from Moscow to Beijing, generally stopping off in Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, and Ulan Battar.

Want to get a taste of what we're in for? Check out our hilarious email correspondence with Dmitry, the random Siberian guy who we're staying with.

 

Proposed itinerary:

July 28 - July 31:

Moscow. Kremlin. Lenin. Russians.

July 31 - August 5:

Five days straight aboard train #10, through the vast Siberian wastelands. Drink lots of Vodka. Learn Cyrilic.

August 5-7:

Irkutsk. Stay in a village with a man named Dmitry, eat fresh berries from his garden, and camp out near Lake Baikal. I'm bringing along lots of DEET - the mosquitoes are supposedly vicious.

August 7-8:

Two-day train to Ulan Battar, capitol of Mongolia.

August 9-20:

Tour the Gobi, hopefully on motorcycles. Would like to get to the Altay mountains, too.

August 21-22:

Two-day train to Beijing.

August 22-27:

China, China, China. See Beijing. Camp out on the Great Wall? Xi'an and the Terra Cotta Warriors?

August 27:

Fly back to Los Angeles.

August 28-30:

Chill around California. Renting a car from LA and somehow getting to Black Rock City, Nevada (one hour north of Reno), for the mother of all festivals, Burning Man. Prepare for supreme sensory overload. Stock up on liquid latex, EL lights, dust masks, rainbow-colored eyelashes, funky glasses, hair dye. Not too mention food and water - nothing is sold at Burning Man.

August 30- Sept 6:

Burning Man. Hooooollllly Shitttttt.

September 7:

Still alive?

September 7:

If so, rush rush rush out of the desert, driving at least twelve hours back to LA. *Hopefully* we don't miss our 9pm flight to Boston.

September 8:

Arrive back in Boston at 6 am, totally head-spun. First day of classes have already begun. Do our best to try and retain some semblence of normalcy.